Do you use any apps to help you find resources?
Yes! There are a ton of Vanlife apps out there, but the one that Zak and I use the most is called “iOverlander“. This app marks places to sleep (both established campsites and wild-camping), showers, propane fill ups, dump stations, and so much more. One of the best parts of this app is that other Vanlifers/ RVers leave comments and dates about places they stay. Usually, if we find that the area has been used in the last few months, then it is safe and we will not get the dreaded “Knock”**.
Some other apps that lots of Vanlifers use are Sekr, Campendium, Harvest Hosts, and Free Roam.
**For those of you who don’t know, the “Knock” is when a police officer or some other official knocks on your door while you are asleep and tells you that you may not park overnight in that area. Want to hear more about our “Knock” experience? Here is the blog post!
What were your thoughts before embarking on this Journey?
Zak and I both knew that if we wanted to pursue Vanlife, we had to be all in. We left our apartment when our lease ran out, and we had been selling our belongings since January. Although admittedly, selling our belongings had been part of a previous and unrelated minimalism challenge, it was useful all the same for vanlife.
The other really important thing that we did, which I know I talk about all the time, is we sat down together and wrote out all of the “whys” for wanting to pursue Vanlife. Honestly, I might even argue that this was one of the most important steps that we took before Vanlife. We knew that our journey was going to be long and tough, especially because it was going to be expensive and arduous to convert the van. We knew that even when we were in the van that things weren’t always going to be easy. We wanted to make sure that we had something concrete to look at when we were going through hard times. For those of you who want to know more about this step, take a look at our Why Vanlife blog.
How do you plan where you’re going next?
Zak is definitely more of the planner in our relationship! But, we decide where to go partially based on outside events, and partially just based on where we want to be. So many people ask us where we are off to next, and our general answer to that question is: “We honestly don’t know, we don’t have any concrete plans!” One of the best things about vanlife is that we don’t need to have a plan! Most of our life has been very go-with-the flow recently!
Want to learn more about life out on the road? Make sure to check out our Vanlife Journal!